ROCHESTER — A freelance journalist with Rochester and Lakes Region ties has reportedly been taken prisoner in Libya along with three other journalists by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.

James Foley, 37, of Rochester, is a freelance contributor to Boston-based GlobalPost. According to his parents, John and Diane Foley of Rochester, James has been a freelance journalist for about five years after working as a teacher with Teach for America in Phoenix, Ariz., and later dabbling in fiction writing.

Peter Bouckaert, director of emergencies for Human Rights Watch, who is based in Geneva, told GlobalPost of the detentions early Thursday morning. Bouckaert said the journalists had been taken on Tuesday afternoon while they were reporting on the outskirts of Brega.

GlobalPost reported that Bouckaert's information had come in an e-mail from New York Times reporter C.J. Chivers containing eyewitness accounts at the scene.

"Those witnesses said that the van Foley was traveling in with the other journalists had been stopped by an indirect fire strike and that Gaddafi forces took the journalists prisoner and released the driver," GlobalPost reported.

GlobalPost spokesman Rick Byrne said editors at the website, which focuses on international reporting, last heard from Foley on Monday evening. Byrne said Foley regularly contributes videos and dispatches from the scene.

Diane Foley said "Jimmy" grew up in Wolfeboro and graduated from Kingswood Regional High School in 1990. He later earned an undergraduate degree in history from Marquette University in Milwaukee, a Masters of Fine Arts in writing from University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a graduate degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

The Foleys moved to Rochester in 1993 when James was in college. Diane said her son keeps their residence in Rochester as his address, and he was most recently in the Lilac City for an extended two-month break for the holidays.

"He uses our address as his home base, because since he's been doing this he really hasn't had a home," Diane said. "He's always been a very passionate person."

John described his son as an "adventurous" kind of man who sometimes finds New Hampshire "dull" for his taste.

James always wanted to write but couldn't find the correct medium, Diane said. John — a doctor at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover — and Diane — a nurse practitioner, also at WDH — suggested he consider a career in journalism.

"His last semester at Northwestern he was doing conflict reporting in Washington," John said. "At that point, he got embedded with the Indiana National Guard in Iraq. The rest is history."

John said James later went to Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division. He keeps a blog, "A World of Troubles," with chronicles of his experiences dating back to February 2008.

His parents were worried when they learned he would be going to Libya about three weeks ago.

"At least before he had some protection," Diane said. "This time it was a leap of faith ... But the thing that's giving us hope is every time we talked to him he'd say how good the Libyan people were to him. One family had him over for dinner, and he was so touched by that."

It was around 10 a.m. on Thursday when John and Diane were notified by one of their other sons that James had been captured. They've been in contact with GlobalPost and felt confident at approximately 6 p.m. from discussions they've had that James is still alive.

"He's doing what he wants to do," John said. "Is this going to change his mind about what he wants to do? I don't think so."

James is not married and does not have any children, his parents said. They asked for prayers from the community at this time.

It's believed that, along with Foley, Clare Morgana Gillis, an American freelance journalist; Manu Brabo, a Spanish photographer; and Anton Hammerl, a South African photographer; were also detained, GlobalPost reported.

GlobalPost said they are working with all of the organizations involved, including the U.S. State Department, Human Rights Watch, and the Committee to Protect Journalists "to gather information and secure the journalists' release."

GlobalPost CEO and President Philip S. Balboni released this statement Thursday afternoon:

"Requests have been made to the Libyan foreign media office for the release of James Foley and the other journalists detained by government forces. We appeal to the Libyan authorities for the immediate and safe release of these journalists. Our thoughts are with Jim's family and with the families of the other journalists."